Shipping Box

ABSTRACT

A shipping box comprises a bottom structural flap and a plurality of sidewall structural flaps, of which at least two are connected to the bottom structural flap, and assembly elements that assemble the box in a stable way. The box is foldable in a flat folded position in which, from its upper part, in the use position, to at least three of the structural sidewall flaps are connected at least three functional flaps independent of each other, making the functional flaps the functions of lid, interior space reducer, fastening and/or handle, and that the assembly elements are located on the internal part of the box.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of International Application No.PCT/EP2021/063875, filed on May 25, 2021, which claims priority under 35U.S.C. § 119(a)-(d) to Application No. EP 20382474.3 filed on Jun. 2,2020, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to a shipping box, in particular a boxfor shipping objects by mail.

BACKGROUND

Postal boxes are known for shipping medium or reduced-sized objects,which are made from a single sheet of cardboard in which the bottomfolds to form two or more sidewalls and a lid.

Usually these boxes are intended to be filled from the top. These boxesbelong to or are variants of the boxes included in group 04 of the FEFCOcatalog, which is the international code for corrugated cardboard boxes,and they are also known as folding boxes, most of which do not requireany type of gluing for their assembly.

These boxes differ from box models in which the sides are allconsecutively joined to each other and require a joint system at theends.

In these boxes, the joining mechanism is usually a flange thatarticulates along one of these ends and that is glued or stapled to theend of the other sidewall.

For boxes of reduced height that are the most used in postal shipments,the flange is logically shorter, and can be fragile and cause structuralproblems since, when the box is broken or detached, it loses itsintegrity. In some cases, this even makes it technically impossible tomanufacture.

Sometimes these designs are used by changing the direction of use of thedesign, so that, considering the position of the box with respect to itsposition of use, four flaps are connected to the bottom, from one ofthem another flap rises that is glued or stapled with the front flap,thus forming a ring.

The other two flaps that rises from the bottom close the ring on thesides, often forming lids to the end of which a short flap is connected,which is inserted into the ring. These boxes are filled on one or bothsides. Therefore, it is not possible for the four sides to remainperpendicular to the bottom during the filling.

When filled at the sides, they are less comfortable boxes both forfilling and for extracting the product later.

Representative examples of the group 04 boxes of the FEFCO catalog,mentioned above, are box 427 and 470, as well as their variants. Bothone and the other, as well as some of their variants, are characterizedin that to remain assembled they require two flaps necessary to maintainthe assembled box, which can be called structural flaps, of lengthbasically equal to the height of the box, which rise respectively fromthe upper ends of the walls that are perpendicular to the wall to whichthe box lid is connected, and that fold 180° on themselves, embracingone or more flaps that rise in turn from the adjacent walls.

These structural flaps are anchored by some element, for example, aflange that is inserted into a hole conveniently located at the bottomof the box, thus generating a sidewall with a thickness of three timesthe thickness of the material.

This type of model, like many others, has some design restrictions whenchoosing the size of the box, especially related to the relationshipbetween the different dimensions of length, width and height, which canbe characterized as “ratio problems.”

In the case of these designs, specifically, it is not possible togenerate boxes whose height is greater than their length, since thiswould prevent assembly because it is not possible to fold the structuralflaps inwardly.

In most cases, these models incorporate only a functional flap that actsprecisely as a lid. Sometimes, on its opposite side, another functionalflap is connected, which often forms an internal accessory.

There are designs that need to be closed so that the box is fullyassembled, so the filling is done on a box that is not yet fullyconformed with the difficulties or discomfort that this may cause.

This is the case of model 426 and the like, in which a structural flapsimilar to that of the previously described models is used but locatedon the wall parallel to the face to which the lid is connected.

By correctly folding this flap, a box is obtained in which only three ofthe walls are kept perpendicular to the bottom, since the wall to whichthe lid is connected is not fixed when the lid is open to fill, so thebox will not be assembled until the lid is closed and with this allvertical walls are fixed.

Other designs of the enveloping type such as model 401 or similararticulate the walls of the box by slits that are connected to thebottom in a similar way to some previously described models withoutresorting to any type of structural or anchor flap and thereforeresulting in designs that they are not able to maintain the assembledbox by themselves before closing it.

There are other designs that use external elements, such as staples orsome type of gluing, so that they can be assembled before filling. Insome cases, the result is a completely rigid box that once manufacturedis directly assembled and therefore cannot be stored flat, folded, orextended.

Normally, these boxes are linked to a manufacturing process in whichthey are glued or stapled when the product is already inside or if it isnot, it will then be introduced within the same forming and fillingprocess. In no case are they boxes designed to be manufactured andstored for later use because they take up too much space when assembled.

In other cases, the boxes have a design that allows them to be glued orstapled when folded, which are known as four- or six-point glue boxes.The manufacturing system of these boxes determines their design, so thesidewalls do not incorporate functional flaps.

Sometimes they incorporate very short structural flaps that serve tokeep the box assembled before filling. This is so because the gluingsystem for these folded boxes does not allow flaps long enough to befunctional, for example, they could not serve as a lid or accessory.

By folding these structural flaps substantially at right angles, theykeep the sidewall to which they are connected straight, which wouldotherwise be bent by the diagonal slits that serve precisely to fold thebox.

In addition, these box models have ratio problems, the maximum heightthat the box may have is limited by its width or length, depending onthe variant of the box design.

There are also other designs that use anchoring systems between theflaps that are connected to the sides. These systems, which tend to bemore elaborate, fragile, or not very stable, usually involve flapsarising on one or some of the sides and fit into housings or grooveslocated on their adjacent side.

Some versions locate this fit on the outside of the box, making itvulnerable to theft or accidental or unwanted opening. Other versionsthat locate the fit inside result in a structure incapable of keepingits four outer lateral faces in a rigid position and perpendicular tothe bottom of the box.

Regardless of the assembly system, there are boxes in which three flapsjoined together are connected to their upper part to form a lid with abellows at the junction between the flaps.

This design is a way to guarantee the inviolability of the contents ofthe box, in addition to providing it with a certain structuralresistance; however, they are boxes that are difficult to fill since thelid cannot be articulated, allowing it to be fully opened.

The length of these flaps is also conditioned by ratio problems due tothe bellows that make up the lid, so they cannot have a differentfunction from that of the lid, so they could not be used as a divider,reducer of the internal space or as any accessory type.

SUMMARY

Therefore, an objective of the present disclosure is to provide ashipping box comprising a series of flaps that allow performing otherfunctions other than forming the box structure.

With the disclosed shipping box, the aforementioned disadvantages aresolved, presenting other advantages that will be described below.

The disclosed shipping box is formed from a single sheet comprising:

-   -   a structural bottom flap that forms a bottom and occupies the        entire surface of the bottom; and    -   a plurality of structural sidewall flaps forming at least four        sidewalls of the box, of which at least two are connected to the        bottom structural flap, the sidewalls being positioned        substantially perpendicular to the bottom in their position of        use when the box is open, and    -   assembly elements that assemble the box stably, the box being        foldable in a flat folded position, wherein:    -   from its upper part, in the position of use, from at least three        of the sidewall structural flaps, at least three independent        functional flaps are connected, the functional flaps performing        the functions of lid, interior space reducer, fastening and/or        handle, the assembly elements being located on the structural        flaps on the internal part of the box.

Advantageously, the assembly elements are projections that are housed incomplementary housings or glued to a structural flap.

Advantageously, the sheet is of a corrugated material that defines aplurality of channels substantially parallel to each other, and thechannels of the corrugated material in the sidewalls are substantiallyperpendicular to the bottom.

The channels of the corrugated material are also advantageouslyperpendicular to the slits separating the structural flaps.

Furthermore, the box according to the present disclosure preferablycomprises two additional bottom structural flaps that form a doublethickness bottom, which are connected to two sidewall structural flaps.

The box according to the present disclosure also preferably comprisestwo additional sidewall structural flaps forming two double thicknesssidewalls, which are connected to a sidewall structural flap.

According to one implementation, to each of the two opposite additionalsidewall structural flaps a bottom structural reinforcement flap isconnected, defining a projection between the additional sidewallstructural flap and the bottom reinforcing structural flap, theprojection being housed in a complementary slot.

Preferably, each additional bottom structural flap comprises a cavityfor housing one of the bottom reinforcing structural flaps.

According to one implementation, two of the functional flaps arefunctional lid flaps which, in their closed position, have their endssubstantially in contact with each other or are totally or partiallyoverlapped, one of the functional lid flaps comprising at least onesealing element and at least one tear strip when the functional coverflaps are totally or partially overlapped.

Preferably, two of the functional flaps are functional lid flaps thatcomprise at least one slot for engagement with each other.

According to one implementation, at least one of the functional flaps isa functional space reduction flap, each of them comprising one or moreslits that define secondary flaps from each functional space reductionflap.

According to one implementation, at least one of the functional flaps isa functional fastening flap, and each functional fastening flapcomprises at least one hole and slits.

According to one implementation, at least one of the functional flaps isa handle functional flap.

With the shipping box according to the present disclosure, as from thetop, in its position of use, at least three of its structural sidewallflaps give rise to at least three functional flaps independent of eachother, which can be as long as desired, these can be used for functionsnot related with the assembly of the box.

Therefore, these flaps are functional and can perform the function oflid, reducer of the interior space, reinforcement and/or fastening.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For better understanding of what has been disclosed, some drawings inwhich, schematically and only by way of a non-limiting example, apractical case of implementation is shown.

FIG. 1 a is a plan view of an unfolded sheet that forms the shipping boxof the present disclosure according to a first implementation.

FIG. 1B is a perspective view of a shipping box according to a firstdisclosed implementation during its assembly process.

FIG. 1 c is a perspective view of the shipping box according to thefirst implementation in its assembled position.

FIG. 2 a is a plan view of an unfolded sheet that forms a shipping boxaccording to a second disclosed implementation.

FIG. 2 b is a perspective view of the shipping box of the secondimplementation during its assembly process.

FIG. 2 c is a perspective view of the shipping box of the secondimplementation in its assembled position.

FIGS. 3 and 4 are perspective views showing two variants of the lid ofthe shipping box according to the first and second implementations.

FIG. 5 a is a plan view of an unfolded sheet that forms a shipping boxaccording to a third disclosed implementation.

FIG. 5 b is a perspective view of the shipping box of the thirdimplementation during its assembly process.

FIG. 5 c is a perspective view of the shipping box of the thirdimplementation in its assembled position.

FIG. 6 a is a plan view of an unfolded sheet that forms a shipping boxaccording to a fourth disclosed implementation.

FIG. 6 b is a perspective view of the shipping box of the fourthimplementation during its assembly process.

FIG. 6 c is a perspective view of the shipping box of the fourthimplementation in its assembled position.

FIGS. 7 a and 7 b are perspective views of a variant of the fourthimplementation of the box.

FIG. 8 a is a plan view of an unfolded sheet that forms a shipping boxaccording to a fifth disclosed implementation.

FIG. 8 b is a perspective view of the shipping box of the fifthimplementation during its assembly process.

FIG. 8 c is a perspective view of the shipping box of the fifthimplementation in its assembled position.

FIGS. 9 a and 9 b are perspective views of the fifth implementation ofthe box, with different closure options.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a variant of the lid of the shippingbox, applicable to the above implementations.

FIG. 11 a is a plan view of an unfolded sheet that forms a shipping boxaccording to a sixth disclosed implementation.

FIG. 11 b is a perspective view of the shipping box of the sixthimplementation during its assembly process.

FIG. 11 c is a perspective view of the shipping box of the sixthimplementation in its assembled position.

FIG. 12 a is a plan view of an unfolded sheet that forms a shipping boxaccording to a seventh disclosed implementation.

FIGS. 12 b to 12 f are perspective views of the shipping box of theseventh implementation during its assembly process.

FIG. 13 a is a plan view of an unfolded sheet that forms a shipping boxaccording to an eighth disclosed implementation.

FIGS. 13 b to 13 e are perspective views of the shipping box of theeighth implementation during its assembly process.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

First, in the present description and in the appended claims, thefollowing terms should be interpreted as follows:

An “assembled box” is understood to mean that its sidewalls remain rigidand substantially perpendicular to the bottom without the help ofexternal elements.

“Stiffness” is understood to mean that a wall does not tend to bend dueto any slit contained in it or that delimits it.

“Flap” is understood to be the section of material pertaining to thedevelopment of the box that is completely delimited by lines, whethercut or slit.

“Structural flap” is understood to be those flaps that form thestructure of the box, that is, that form the bottom and the sidewalls ofthe box, or that are necessary to keep the box assembled.

By “functional flap” is meant those flaps that perform some additionalfunction other than forming the box structure, such as, for example, alid function, a space reduction function, a fastening function, and/or ahandle function.

By “connected to” with reference to a flap connected to another flap,means that both flaps are connected to each other by a folding line.

Furthermore, in the implementations described below, identical, orsimilar elements in the different implementations are described by thesame term and indicated by the same reference number for the sake ofsimplicity.

The shipping box according to the present disclosure is preferablyformed from a single sheet of corrugated material, the corrugatedmaterial defining a plurality of channels parallel to each other.

This box includes the following structural flaps:

-   -   A first structural bottom flap 1.1 that defines the bottom of        the box;    -   A second and third additional bottom structural flaps 1.2 and        1.3, which form a double thickness bottom;    -   A fourth and fifth structural bottom reinforcement flaps 4.3 and        5.3;    -   A plurality of sidewall structural flaps 2, 3, 4.1, 4.2, 5.1 and        5.2 that structurally define the four sidewalls.

In addition, the box also includes functional flaps, i.e., that unlikewhat are called structural flaps, they are not necessary for theassembly of the box, independent of each other, which are connected tothe upper part of at least three of its sidewalls and they can be aslong as required without being limited by the development of theunfolded box or by the articulation of the box when it is mounted,thanks to what they can perform as a lid function, the function ofreducing the interior space, the clamping function, for example, toassist in clamping an object contained in the box, or the handlefunction.

The result will be a box that can be stored flat on already finished. Abox is considered finished when a user is able to assemble it forfilling without the need to use additional elements such as staples orglue.

An “assembled box” is understood to have its four sidewalls remainrigid, which means that the walls do not tend to bend due to any slitcontained in them or that delimits them, and perpendicular to the bottomeven when the lid is ready to be filled. All this without the need forany external element to hold it. In addition, the flaps or any otherelements that are involved in the box assembly will be protected insideonce it is closed for shipment to avoid accidental or unwanted openings.

In the implementations shown in FIGS. 1 a to 1 c and 2 a to 2 c , two ofthe sidewall structural flaps 2, 3, parallel to each other, areconnected to the bottom structural flap 1.1.

Other structural sidewall flaps 4.1, 5.1, 4.2 and 5.2 are connected tothe two structural sidewall flaps 2, 3. Of these, two sidewallstructural flaps 4.1 and 5.1 serve as external sidewalls and theexternal walls comprise the two additional sidewall structural flaps 4.2and 5.2 placed therein. This way, these two sidewalls parallel to eachother will be formed by a double cardboard layer.

In addition, the additional sidewall flaps 4.2 and 5.2 are connected tothe structural bottom reinforcement flaps 4.3 and 5.3 from their lowerpart in the position of use.

These structural bottom reinforcement flaps 4.3 and 5.3 are attached byattaching to two additional structural bottom flaps 1.2 and 1.3 andwhich in turn are connected to the sidewall structural flaps 4.1 and5.1.

They do this via assembly elements, such as housings, e.g. grooves, 4.4and 5.4 located in a slit that acts as a hinge between the additionalstructural bottom flaps 1.2 and 1.3 in which protrusions 4.5 and 5.5 arehoused incorporated between the structural bottom reinforcement flaps4.3 and 5.3.

Alternatively, these projections 4.5, 5.5 and housings or grooves 4.4,4.5 can be substituted by a projection glued to a structural flap.

This assembly system, unlike others, allows to create a box withoutratio restrictions, i.e., structurally there are no restrictionsregarding the measures with which the box can be created.

The box lid, in the implementation shown in FIGS. 1 a to 1 c , is formedby three separate functional lid flaps 6.1, 6.2 and 6.3 that areconnected to three of the ends of the box sidewall structural flaps.

In addition, this system allows us to store the self-assembling boxfully finished flat. What is meant by self-assembling is that a user canassemble it for filling without having to use external elements such asglue or staples, that is, they do not need any type of gluing or staplesfor assembly, such as most of the boxes in the group 04 of the FEFCOcatalog.

Also in this implementation, as in successive ones, the channeldirection of the corrugated material is preferably perpendicular to thebottom for all the sidewalls, preventing them from being easily crushedin the very probable case that it has to bear weight when stacking otherboxes on it.

The arrangement of the channels of the material is perpendicular to theslits that separate the functional flaps from the structural sidewallflaps, thereby achieving a precise folding of the functional flaps.

In another implementation, shown in FIGS. 2 a to 2 c , the box comprisesan additional functional lid flap 6.4. This way, a functional flap isconnected to each of the sidewalls of the box on its upper part, in itsposition of use.

The advantage of having these four functional flaps each linked to thestructural flaps on the sidewalls of the box is that they providestructural resistance and against possible attempts to steal thecontents of the box, since the sidewalls and the lid are thus physicallyjoined, always maintaining the continuity of the material between themwithout leaving any slits.

In this described implementation, the box has at least a doublethickness of cardboard both on the bottom and on the lid and on two ofits sidewalls, giving extra protection to the content.

As for the lid closure system, in this implementation, as inimplementation 1, at least one of the functional lid flaps that areconnected to the sidewalls will be the outer one at the time of shippingthe box.

Another variant is shown in FIG. 3 , in which the functional lid flaps6.1 and 6.3 are internal and the functional lid flaps 6.2 and 6.4 areexternal. In this case the sealing system could be an external element,such as, for example, an adhesive tape or glue.

In another variant shown in FIG. 4 , at least one of the outerfunctional lid flaps 6.4 at the time the box is shipped may incorporateat least one sealing element 7.1 to close the box for shipping and orone or more tear strips 8.1 allowing easy opening of the previouslysealed box without the need for any sharp object.

The external functional lid flap or flaps 6.4 may carry a second sealingelement 7.2 that would allow the recipient of the shipped box to make asecond shipment, for example, to return the product.

In another implementation shown in FIGS. 5 a to 5 c , from each of theadditional sidewall structural flaps 4.2 and 5.2 a structural bottomreinforcing flap 4.3 and 5.3 is connected to its lower part in useposition, which does not cover the entire extension of the side of thebox, being able to be located, for example, in its central area.

These reduced length structural bottom reinforcement flaps 4.3 and 5.3are engaged to the two additional structural bottom flaps 1.2 and 1.3.

They do this by housing in cavities 1.4 and 1.5 located in theadditional bottom flaps 1.2 and 1.3 and by projections 4.5 and 5.5 ofthe structural bottom reinforcement flaps 4.3 and 5.3 that are housed inhousings, such as grooves 1.4 and 1.5 of similar dimensions located inthe hinge slit between the additional structural bottom flaps 1.2 and1.3 and the structural wall flaps 4.1 and 5.1.

This allows, in addition to a firm and stable fixation, to form asmoother bottom for the box than in previous configurations, since allthe flaps that are connected to the lower part of the sidewalls remaincoplanar. This is an advantage when the content is a set of products,for example, a series of bottles, which benefit from a smooth bottom sothat they are more stable and leveled.

Another implementation is shown in FIGS. 6 a to 6 c , which is a boxsimilar to the one previously described. The main difference is that itcomprises functional reduction flaps 9.

These functional reduction flaps 9 comprise slits 9.1, 9.2, preferablyparallel to the slit that hinges each functional reduction flap, whichin turn is preferably perpendicular to the direction of the corrugatedmaterial channel.

In the implementation shown, a first slit 9.1 from the slit that hingesthe functional reduction flap creates a first secondary flap 9.3 oflength equal to the width to be reduced, a next slit 9.2 is arrangedleaving a second secondary flap 9.4 equal or very close to the interiorheight of the box and a third secondary flap 9.5 at the end equal to orvery close to the space left with the first slit 9.1.

This way, folding each slit at 90 degrees forms a closed and fixedcompartment inside the box, allowing the space to be adapted to theobjects to be packaged.

Unlike other systems on the market that allow adjusting the dimensionsof the box, this system does not alter or break any element of theoriginal development, so the starting structure can always be recovered.

In addition to reducing the interior of the box, this reducing accessoryor a variant thereof can be used to separate the space into two or moreparts. Also, in more complex versions of this structure, more slits canbe added that, specifically arranged, would allow us to make a variableregulation of the structure.

In an alternative implementation shown in FIGS. 7 a and 7 b , startingfrom the implementation described above in relation to FIGS. 6 a to 6 c, slits 9.6 and 9.7 can be added in the middle of the first and thirdsections 9.3 and 9.5, in which a functional reduction flap would bedivided.

If these slits 9.6, 9.7 are folded outwardly, keeping the first slitsfolded inwardly, an accordion-shaped structure is achieved that allowscreation of a variable and adjustable space-reducing accessory. Throughthis element, the content can be secured, in addition to reducing thespace in a totally flexible way.

This reducing accessory created from a functional reduction flap canalso be created in its opposite reduction functional flap for greatervariability in the interior space of the box, since in any case its useis optional.

Other slots, cuts, gaps, or flanges can be incorporated into one or morefunctional flaps to contribute to different functionalities of the box.

In the implementation shown in FIGS. 8 a to 8 c , two or more functionallid flaps 6.2 and 6.4, which are located below the functional lid flaps6.1 and 6.3 at the time of shipment, may incorporate any couplingelement that allows link them together.

For this purpose, the pair of flaps comprises at least one slot 10 thatgives rise to at least two flanges 11.1 and 11.2 that, in use position,are overlapped with each other.

To facilitate this function, one of the flanges can be longer than theother. The at least one slot 10 is preferably parallel to the corrugatedcardboard channel that forms the box.

The incorporation of these slots 10 and their use at the time ofshipment supposes an extra structural reinforcement since it avoids thatthe opposite sidewalls to which these structural flaps 4.1 and 5.1 areconnected can collapse when crushed.

Furthermore, advantageously, these functional lid flaps 6.2 and 6.4internal at the time of shipment (FIG. 9 a ) can become external flapsat other times in the life of the box, such as, for example, duringprevious and subsequent storage, shown in FIG. 9 b . This way, beingengageable, they would allow us to keep the box temporarily closed.

This can be useful both for the person who receives the box, who can useit to store the product temporarily, and for the person who sends it,who could access the content and provisionally close the box as manytimes as required during the filling process of the box.

Other types of flanges could also be incorporated. In the implementationshown in FIG. 10 , in cases where only two or one of the flaps that areconnected to the sidewalls serve as a cover, this could negativelyaffect the security of the box. To fix this, one or more additionalflanges 12 could emerge from the at least one outer flap at the time ofshipment.

If necessary, according to the implementation of the box shown in FIGS.11 a to 11 c , this box comprises more than four functional flaps, eachof which is connected to a different sidewall structural flap, whichprotrude from the top of the box, in its position of use. This providesthe advantage of being able to use, for example, four of them as a lid6.1, 6.2, 6.3 and 6.4 and the remaining ones 9, for example, asreducing, separating structures or as preferred.

In another preferred implementation, optional functional flaps may areconnected line to the bottom of the sidewall, specifically from theadditional bottom structural flaps 1.2 and 1.3. These flaps incorporateat least one slit preferably perpendicular with respect to the directionof the flap that allows it to be folded up and used as a divider or, bya series of cuts and slits, to adapt it to specific needs.

This is the case of the implementation shown in FIGS. 12 a to 12 f , inwhich functional fastening flaps 13 and 14 form an accessory forfastening bottles. The functional fastening flaps 13 are connected tothe flaps 4.2 and 5.2 and the functional fastening flaps 14 areconnected to the flaps 1.2 and 1.3.

These functional fastening flaps 13 and 14 comprise holes 16 to house apart of the bottles and slits 17 to suitably fold them to form thefastening accessory.

As can be seen in FIG. 12 f , once the box according to thisimplementation has been formed, it can be placed inside a larger box,and to facilitate its removal, the box according to the presentdisclosure may be provided with functional handle flaps 15.

A similar implementation shown in FIG. 13 also incorporates up to fourfunctional flaps 6.1, 6.2, 6.3 and 6.4, thus allowing the box to beclosed at the top.

In this last implementation, the box comprises eight functional flapsnot necessary for assembling the box, four of which serve as lids andthe other four as fasteners.

Although reference has been made to specific disclosed implementations,it is apparent to a person skilled in the art that the describedshipping box is susceptible of numerous variations and modifications,and that all the details mentioned can be replaced by other technicallyequivalents, without departing from the scope of protection defined bythe appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A shipping box formed from a single sheet,comprising: a structural bottom flap that forms a bottom and occupiessubstantially an entire surface of the bottom; a plurality of structuralsidewall flaps that form at least four sidewalls of the box, at leasttwo of the structural sidewall flaps being connected to the structuralbottom flap, all the sidewalls being positioned substantiallyperpendicular to the bottom in their position of use when the box isopen; assembly elements that assemble the box in a stable manner, thebox being foldable in a flat folded position; and at least threefunctional flaps that are independent of each other, the functionalflaps performing functions of lid, interior space reducer, clamping,separator, and/or handle, wherein: from their upper part, in theirposition of use, at least three of the structural sidewall flaps areconnected to the at least three functional flaps, and the assemblyelements are located on the structural bottom flap or the structuresidewall flaps on an internal part of the box.
 2. The shipping box ofclaim 1, wherein the assembly elements are projections that are housedin complementary housings or glued to the structural bottom flap or to astructure sidewall flap.
 3. The shipping box of claim 1, wherein thesheet is of a corrugated material that defines a plurality of channelssubstantially parallel to each other.
 4. The shipping box of claim 3,wherein the channels of the corrugated material in the sidewalls aresubstantially perpendicular to the bottom.
 5. The shipping box of claim3, wherein the channels of the corrugated material are perpendicular toslits that separate the functional flaps.
 6. The shipping box of claim1, further comprising two additional structural bottom flaps that form adouble thickness bottom and that are connected to two of the structuralsidewall flaps.
 7. The shipping box of claim 6, wherein each additionalstructural bottom flap comprises a cavity to house one of the structuralbottom reinforcement flaps.
 8. The shipping box of claim 1, furthercomprising two opposite additional sidewall structural flaps that formtwo double thickness sidewalls and that are connected to a sidewallstructural flap.
 9. The shipping box of claim 8, wherein each of the twoopposite additional sidewall structural flaps is connected to astructural bottom reinforcing flap, defining a projection between theadditional sidewall structural flap and the bottom reinforcingstructural flap, the projection being housed in a complementary groovelocated at a fold line between the structural sidewall flaps and theadditional structural bottom flap, forming the projections and thegrooves of the assembly elements.
 10. The shipping box of claim 9,wherein each additional structural bottom flap comprises a cavity tohouse one of the structural bottom reinforcement flaps.
 11. The shippingbox of claim 1, wherein two of the functional flaps are functional lidflaps that, in their closed position, have their ends substantially incontact with each other or are totally or partially overlapped, one ofthe lid flaps comprising, when the lid flaps are totally or partiallyoverlapped, at least one sealing element.
 12. The shipping box of claim11, wherein at least one of the functional lid flaps comprises at leastone tear strip when the functional lid flaps are totally or partiallyoverlapped.
 13. The shipping box of claim 1, wherein two of thefunctional flaps are functional lid flaps comprising at least one slotfor their engagement to each other.
 14. The shipping box of claim 1,wherein at least one of the functional flaps is a functional spacereduction flap, each comprising one or more slits defining secondaryflaps from each functional space reduction flap.
 15. The shipping box ofclaim 1, further comprising at least two functional fastening flaps. 16.The shipping box of claim 15, wherein each functional fastening flapcomprises at least one hole and slits.
 17. The shipping box of claim 1,wherein at least one of the functional flaps is a functional handleflap.